The present invention relates to conveyor belt modules, and more particularly to a module having a bearing at least partially housed within the module to reduce drag friction, especially as the conveyor belt module traverses lateral curves.
Conveyor belt modules typically include opposing link ends that are coupled to offset link ends of an adjacent module by a series of generally parallel hinge pins to form a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt rides along an underlying track and, depending on the ultimate application and form factor, the overall conveyor belt can undergo a significant amount of tensile loading, especially as the conveyor belt modules traverse a lateral curve or bend. Much of the stress within an individual belt module is a result of drag friction between the modules and the track, which is exacerbated as the conveyor belt traverses curves in the underlying track.
This drag friction is preferably accounted for in the design of the conveyor belt modules to ensure that the resulting stresses will not be excessively detrimental to the general operation and useful life of each module. However, simply making an increasingly robust conveyor belt module compounds the issue—as the mass of each conveyor belt module increases, so does the associated drag friction.
In addition, this drag friction has an undesirable impact on the other components of the overall conveyor belt system. For instance, the increased load causes additional wear and tear on the drive motor and the related drive components (e.g., drive gears, drive sprockets, etc.), which can increase the operational and maintenance costs associated with the conveyor belt system.
Another common issue with conveyor belts is that the repetitive array of modules can cause difficulty during installation and operation. For instance, each conveyor belt module typically defines a drive pocket that is specifically designed and configured to be engaged by a drive sprocket of the drive system. Often, one or more modules is incorrectly or inadvertently offset laterally such that the drive pocket is not properly engaged with the appropriate drive sprocket. This misalignment can result in premature wear and damage to the individual conveyor belt modules as well as to the various drive components.
In light of at least the above challenges, a need exists for an improved conveyor belt module and track that reduces the overall impact of drag friction and a module that promotes proper engagement with drive components.